Woman Warns Homeowners Against Rubber Band Break-Ins.

As technology and home security systems are constantly advancing, the methods that criminals use are getting more and more creative in an attempt to work around them. Kim Fleming Cernigllaro is a Texas mom who had a very close run in with one of these increasingly creative burglars.

She was home alone one day when she heard a loud banging on her front door, so loud that it made it sounds like the person on the other side was distressed. As much as she wanted to help, Kim has a rule of never opening the door to people she doesn’t know. Luckily for her, she let the stranger keep knocking away, until eventually he got tired and walked away.

About 30 minutes later, she stepped outside to investigate if the man had left anything behind to identify who he was. What she found instead was a rubber band wrapped around the door handle, pressing down on the latch. She immediately called her husband, who told her to grab the gun they owned, and she called the police to come and investigate.

She elaborates on Facebook, saying, “The Sheriff came by yesterday and said this is happening all of a sudden, as soon as you unlatch the door, they do not wait for you to turn the knob, they can bust in on you.” The rubber band serves as a wedge to help the door open for the intruder. You don’t even need to open the door; all you have to do is unlatch it and they can get in, knock you over and steal your belongings.

For anyone who worries about home security, the top 5 tips for safety: Don’t leave old mail and newspapers outside your house, don’t make your bed every morning, fake home security if you can’t actually get it installed, light up your house, and better yet, keep them guessing as to where your valuables are.

These small actions may be just enough to throw a burglar off from breaking into your home.

Meanwhile, make sure everyone you know is aware of this rubber band trick!